Micke Alm
About Me

I´m Micke Alm – a designer, dad, and the kind of person who tends to bring a bit of structure into chaos, whether that's in a design system or daily life.

I live in Stockholm with my wife, Mia, and our two daughters, Emmy and Lowa. Family means everything to me, and being a parent is the most grounding, humbling, and perspective-giving role I have. Outside of work, I recharge through music (I play guitar and still chase the perfect tone), photography, and the gym. These creative and physical outlets help me stay balanced and bring energy into my work.

I first got into the industry as a web designer and front-end developer, back when CSS was still a bit of a dark art. I loved the craft of it – the precision, the structure, the almost meditative satisfaction of making things look and feel just right. That attention to detail, and the joy of creating with code, gave me a strong foundation for what was to come.

Everything changed when I joined Episerver. That's where I really stepped into product design – and where I began to understand the why behind the work. Under the guidance of my manager, Chris McCann, I learned how process could support creativity, not stifle it. I saw firsthand how research, structure, and UX thinking could elevate a product and create clarity for teams. Chris showed me how good design is about more than visuals – it's about understanding people, solving problems, and working collaboratively. That mindset has stayed with me ever since.

Process
Discovery and research

While I would love to say I always follow Design Thinking or the Double Diamond, I have found that the teams and organisations you find yourself in require a less dogmatic approach where you tailor the process to the needs and opportunities available to the organisation.

However, the cornerstone of any successful design project is a clear and correct understanding of the problem we're attempting to solve. In organisations where user understanding is yet to be fully developed, I prioritise this aspect. This approach allows me to establish personas, identify biases – both mine and the organisation's – and gain a deeper understanding that fuels our product strategy.

For most organisations, when it comes to new feature ideas that broaden the product, I believe we should treat ideas as we would a new startup. We should do the proper Discovery work and ensure we have product market fit and a clear ROI, or path to it, before investing in them blindly.

Design and delivery

I prefer a highly collaborative design process where I involve both stakeholders, and those in the team that are interested. When necessary, I may start with a Design Studio to get a plethora of ideas, or we may simply map things out using post-its. Depending on the purpose, I may do wireframing, or simply use the design system to design high fidelity at the same speed. Once a prototype is created, I do some kind of user testing together with the team members.

After a product or feature is delivered, I firmly believe in closing the loop by involving everyone in the feedback process. Beyond mere delivery of features, developers too need to understand user responses to maintain their motivation and foster a user-centric mindset. To this end, I make it a point to report back to the team, sharing both feedback and achievements, instilling a sense of pride in our collective work.

I love

Management and Design Leadership

One of my primary interests is working with UX as an organisational competency, helping everybody understand the value and importance of research, user centricity and how it fits in with and supports the business.

Meeting and engaging with users

My main drive is helping others. Interacting with users in an interview or through support, helps me top up my empathy tank and really get hands-on in understanding and helping people with their problems. Excellent source of dopamine when you get the feedback that you have actually helped!

Ideas and creativity

I am something of an 'ideas guy', and generally run on a pretty full tank of creativity. Envisioning something new and quickly making a prototype for it gives me a true feeling of 'creating something' and often spawns several new ideas of its own.

Design and Design systems

Even knowing all the work that went into making the correct decisions along the way, nothing gives me butterflies more than someone saying I created a beautiful and easy to understand design. On the other end of the spectrum, I love the rigidity and structure of design systems and how they can help speed up our workflow and creativity.